Vienna Court Rejects US Extradition Bid for Ukrainian Tycoon Dmytro Firtash — Ruling Declared Final

An Austrian court on Wednesday announced it has rejected the United States' request to extradite Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash on bribery charges, delivering a legally final decision in a long-running, cross-border legal dispute.

Firtash, once an ally of Ukraine's deposed pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, made his wealth importing gas from Russia and Central Asia in partnership with Russian energy company Gazprom. He is the owner of Group DF, a conglomerate with interests in energy, chemicals, media, banking and real estate in Ukraine and several European countries.

Vienna's Higher Regional Court said on December 9 it had dismissed as "inadmissible" prosecutors' latest appeal against a 2024 ruling that barred Firtash's extradition to the United States, and added that the decision is "legally binding" and therefore final.

Accusations and Firtash's Response

U.S. authorities accuse Firtash of arranging bribe payments worth tens of millions of euros to secure titanium mining licences in India in 2006. Firtash, 60, denies the allegations and has repeatedly described the charges as politically motivated.

The Vienna court said the U.S. extradition request "was related to the payment of bribes amounting to tens of millions of euros for mining licences in a mineral extraction project in India."

Long Legal Battle in Austria

Firtash has been unable to leave Austria since 2014 after an international arrest warrant was issued by U.S. authorities. The case has seen multiple reversals: an Austrian court initially refused extradition in 2015; an appeals court reversed that decision in 2017; a higher court upheld extradition in 2019. Firtash later filed new evidence and testimony, prompting authorities to reopen proceedings, and a Vienna court ultimately ruled in 2024 that extradition was not permissible. Prosecutors sought to appeal that ruling but missed the deadline, and the latest dismissal on December 9 leaves the matter closed in Austria.

Sanctions and Wider Implications

Beyond the U.S. indictment, Firtash faces sanctions from the United Kingdom and Ukraine. In 2024 the UK accused him of extracting "hundreds of millions of pounds from Ukraine through corruption and his control of gas distribution" and of hiding "tens of millions of pounds of ill‑gotten gains in the UK property market." Ukraine sanctioned him in June 2021, alleging he sold titanium products to Russian military companies.

The court's final ruling removes one major legal avenue for U.S. prosecutors but does not resolve lingering political and reputational consequences for Firtash, whose business ties and past political connections remain under international scrutiny.